Wisconsin Legislature: DHS 157.03(247)

(227) “Neutron absorber” means a material that absorbs neutrons emitted from radioactive material.

(228) “Noble gas” means a chemically inert gas that does not combine with other elements.

(228m) “No-later-than arrival time” means the date and time that the shipping licensee and receiving licensee have established as the time at which an investigation will be initiated if the shipment has not arrived at the receiving facility. The no-later-than arrival time may not be more than 6 hours after the estimated arrival time for shipments of category 2 quantities of radioactive material.

(229) “Nominal tomographic section thickness” means the full width at half-maximum of the sensitivity profile taken at the center of the cross-sectional volume over which x-ray transmission data are collected.

(230) “Nominal treatment distance” means:

(a) For electron irradiation, the distance from the scattering foil, virtual source or exit window of the electron beam to the entrance surface of the irradiated object along the central axis of the useful beam.

(b) For x-ray irradiation, the virtual source or target to isocenter distance along the central axis of the useful beam. For non-isocentric equipment, this distance shall be that specified by the manufacturer.

(230m) “Non-fixed contamination” means contamination that can be removed from a surface during normal conditions of transport.

(231) “Nonstochastic effect” or “deterministic effect” means health effects, the severity of which varies with the dose and for which a threshold is believed to exist. Radiation-induced cataract formation is an example of a nonstochastic effect.

(232) “Normal form radioactive material” means radioactive material that has not been demonstrated to qualify as special form radioactive material.

(233) “Notice of violation” means a written notice provided in response to an alleged infraction of ss. 254.31 to 254.45, Stats., this chapter, the conditions of a license or an order issued by the department.

(234) “NRC” means the U.S. nuclear regulatory commission.

(235) “Nuclear waste” means a quantity of source, byproduct or special nuclear material required to be in NRC-approved specification packaging while transported to, through or across a state boundary to a disposal site, or to a collection point for transport to a disposal site.

(235m) “Open-beam x-ray equipment” means an open-beam x-ray system in which the beam path could be entered by any part of the body at any time.

(236) “Optically stimulated luminescent dosimeter” or “OSL” means a dosimeter containing a crystalline solid for measuring radiation dose plus filters to help characterize the type of radiation encountered.

Note: When exposed to the appropriate energy of light, exposed optically stimulated luminescent crystals give off light proportional to the energy received from the radiation.

(237) “Occupational dose” means the dose received by an individual in the course of employment in which the individual’s assigned duties involve exposure to radiation, or to radioactive material from licensed and unlicensed sources of radiation, whether in the possession of the licensee, registrant or other person. Occupational dose does not include dose received from background radiation, from any medical administration the individual has received, from exposure to individuals administered radioactive material and released under s. DHS 157.62 (8), from voluntary participation in medical research programs or as a member of the public.

(238) “Offshore platform radiography” means industrial radiography conducted from a platform over a body of water.

(239) “Offsite response organization” means the non-licensee offsite organizations that may be needed to respond to an emergency, including local fire, police, ambulance and hospital services.

(239m) “Ophthalmic physicist” means an individual who meets all of the following qualifications:

(a) Meets the requirements in ss. DHS 157.61 (11) and 157.65 (6m) (a) 2.

(b) Is identified as an ophthalmic physicist on a specific medical use license, or other equivalent permit or license issued by the department, the NRC or an agreement state, or broad scope medical use licensee.

(240) “Output” means the exposure rate, dose rate or a quantity related in a known manner to these rates from a brachytherapy source or a teletherapy, remote afterloader or gamma stereotactic radiosurgery unit for a specified set of exposure conditions.

(241) “Package” means the packaging together with its radioactive contents as presented for transport.

(242) “Packaging” means the assembly of components necessary to ensure compliance with the packaging requirements of 49 CFR Part 173, Subpart I. It may consist of one or more receptacles, absorbent materials, spacing structures, thermal insulation, radiation shielding and devices for cooling or absorbing mechanical shocks. The vehicle, tie-down system and auxiliary equipment may be designated as part of the packaging.

(243) “Panoramic dry-source-storage irradiator” means a device in which the irradiations occur in air in areas potentially accessible to personnel and in which the sources are stored in shields made of solid materials. The term includes beam-type dry-source-storage devices in which only a narrow beam of radiation is produced.

(244) “Panoramic irradiator” means a device in which the irradiations are performed in air in areas potentially accessible to personnel. The term includes beam-type devices.

(245) “Panoramic wet-source-storage irradiator” means a device in which the irradiations occur in air in areas potentially accessible to personnel and in which the sources are stored under water in a storage pool.

(246) “Pass box” means a box with openings on each side that is placed in a wall between an x-ray room and a darkroom allowing transfer of film holders between the 2 rooms.

(247) “Patient” means an individual or animal subjected to healing arts examination, diagnosis or treatment.

(247m) “PACS” means picture archiving and communication system.

(248) “Periodic quality control check” means a procedure that is performed to ensure that a previous calibration continues to be valid.

(249) “Permanent radiographic installation” means an enclosed shielded room, cell or vault, not located at a temporary jobsite, in which radiography is performed.

(250) “Person” means any individual, corporation, partnership, firm, association, trust, estate, public or private institution, group, agency, political subdivision of this state, any other state or political subdivision or agency thereof and any legal successor, representative, agent or agency of the foregoing, but does not include federal government agencies or Indian tribes or bands.

(251) “Person in control” means the individual directly responsible for safe operation of the radiation installation.

(252) “Personal supervision” means guidance and instruction by the supervisor who is physically present at the jobsite and watching the performance of the operation in such proximity that contact may be maintained and immediate assistance given as required.

(252g) “Personnel dosimeter”means a dosimeter assigned to an individual.

(252r) “Personnel security screening system” means any x-ray equipment used on humans for security evaluation.

(253) “Phantom” means a volume of material behaving in a manner similar to tissue with respect to the attenuation and scattering of radiation.

Note: This requires that both the atomic number (Z) and the density of the material be similar to that of tissue.

(254) “Pharmacist” means an individual licensed under ch. 450, Stats., to practice pharmacy.

(255) “Physician” means a medical doctor or doctor of osteopathy licensed under ch. 448, Stats., to prescribe drugs in the practice of medicine.

(256) “Picture element” means an elemental area of a tomogram.

(257) “Planned special exposure” means an infrequent exposure to radiation, separate from and in addition to the annual occupational dose limits, that requires a licensee or registrant to calculate the dose to be received by individuals prior to initiation of the planned task, as required under s. DHS 157.22 (6).

(258) “Pocket dosimeter” means a type of individual monitoring device that allows the user to view the accumulated radiation exposure received as recorded by the device.

(259) “Podiatrist” means an individual licensed under ch. 448, Stats., to practice podiatry.

(260) “Pool irradiator” means any irradiator where the sources are stored or used in a pool of water including panoramic wet-source-storage irradiators and underwater irradiators.

(261) “Portable x-ray equipment” means x-ray equipment designed to be hand-carried.

(262) “Position indicating device” or “PID” means a device on dental x-ray equipment used to indicate the beam position and to establish a definite source-surface distance from the skin.

Note: A position indicating device may or may not incorporate or serve as a beam-limiting device.

(263) “Positive beam limitation” or “PBL” means the automatic or semi-automatic adjustment of an x-ray beam to the size of the selected image receptor, whereby exposures cannot be made without such adjustment.

(264) “Positive pressure respirator” means a respirator in which the pressure inside the respiratory inlet covering exceeds the ambient air pressure outside the respirator.

(264m) “Positron emission tomography/computed tomography” or “PET/CT” means a dual modality imaging assembly comprised of two distinct components, one using radioactive material for imaging and the other using an x-ray source.

(264r) “Positron emission tomography radionuclide production facility” or “PET facility” means a facility operating a cyclotron or accelerator for the purpose of producing PET radionuclides within a consortium for noncommercial distribution among its associated members for medical use.

(265) “Powered air-purifying respirator” or “PAPR” means an air-purifying respirator that uses a blower to force the ambient air through air-purifying elements to the inlet covering.

(266) “Practical examination” means a demonstration through application of the safety rules and principles in industrial radiography including use of all procedures and equipment to be used by radiographic personnel.

(267) “Preceptor” means an individual who provides, directs or verifies training and experience required for an individual to become an authorized user, an authorized medical physicist, an authorized nuclear pharmacist, a radiation safety officer for medical use, or an associate radiation safety officer.

(268) “Prescribed dosage” means the specified activity or a range of activities of a drug containing radioactive material as documented by any of the following means:

(a) In a written directive or prescription.

(b) Under directions of the authorized user for procedures not requiring a written directive.

(269) “Prescribed dose” means any of the following:

(a) For gamma stereotactic radiosurgery, the total dose as documented in the written directive.

(b) For teletherapy, the total dose and dose per fraction as documented in the written directive.

(c) For brachytherapy, either the total source strength and exposure time or the total dose, as documented in the written directive.

(d) For remote afterloaders, the total dose and dose per fraction as documented in the written directive.

(270) “Pressure demand respirator” means a positive pressure atmosphere-supplying respirator that admits breathing air to the facepiece when the positive pressure is reduced inside the facepiece by inhalation.

(271) “Primary dose monitoring system” means a system which will monitor the useful beam during irradiation and which will terminate irradiation when a pre-selected number of dose monitor units have been delivered.

(272) “Primary protective barrier” means the material, excluding filters, placed in the useful beam.

(273) “Principal activities” means activities authorized by the license that are essential to achieving the purpose for which the license was issued or amended. “Principal activities” do not include storage during which no licensed material is accessed for use or disposal and activities incidental to decontamination or decommissioning.

(274) “Product conveyor system” means a system for moving the product to be irradiated to, from and within the area where irradiation takes place.

(275) “Protective apron” means an apron made of radiation absorbing materials used to reduce radiation exposure to the wearer.

(276) “Protective barrier” means a primary or secondary protective barrier of radiation absorbing material or materials used to reduce radiation exposure.

(277) “Protective glove” means a glove made of radiation absorbing materials used to reduce radiation exposure and that surrounds the hand and fingers.

(278) “Public dose” means the dose received by a member of the public from exposure to sources of radiation released by a licensee or registrant or to any other source of radiation under the control of a licensee or registrant. It does not include occupational dose, dose received from background radiation, from any medical administration the individual has received, from exposure to individuals administered radioactive material and released under s. DHS 157.62 (8) or from voluntary participation in medical research programs.

(279) “Pulsed dose-rate remote afterloader” or “PDR” means a device that uses a single source capable of delivering dose rates in the high dose-rate range, but has both of the following characteristics:

(a) Is approximately one-tenth of the activity of typical high dose-rate remote afterloader sources.

(b) Is used to simulate the radiobiology of a low dose rate treatment by inserting the source for a given fraction of each hour.

(279m) “Pulsed mode” means operation of the x-ray system such that the x-ray tube current is pulsed by the x-ray control to produce one or more exposure intervals of duration less than one-half second.

(280) “Pyrophoric liquid” means any liquid that ignites spontaneously in dry or moist air at or below 54.4° C (130° F). This includes spontaneously combustible and water-reactive materials.

(281) “Pyrophoric solid” means any solid material, other than an explosive material, which under normal conditions is liable to cause fires through friction, retained heat from manufacturing or processing, or which may be ignited readily and, when ignited, burns so vigorously and persistently as to create a serious transportation, handling or disposal hazard.

(282) “Qualitative fit test” or “QLFT” means a pass or fail fit test to assess the adequacy of respirator fit that relies on the individual’s response to the test agent.

(283) “Quality control” means an ongoing program to ensure continued reliable performance of the equipment designed to detect changes which may result in a clinically significant degradation in image quality or a significant increase in radiation exposure.

(284) “Quality factor” or “Q” means the modifying factor listed in tables 157.06A and 157.06B of s. DHS 157.06 (4) that is used to derive dose equivalent from absorbed dose.

(285) “Quantitative fit test” or “QNFT” means an assessment of the adequacy of respirator fit by numerically measuring the amount of leakage into the respirator.

(286) “Rad” means the special unit of absorbed dose. One rad is equal to an absorbed dose of 100 erg per gram or 0.01 joule per kilogram (0.01 gray).

(287) “Radiation” means alpha particles, beta particles, gamma rays, x rays, neutrons, high-speed electrons, high-speed protons and other particles capable of producing ions. “Radiation” does not include non-ionizing radiation, such as radiowaves or microwaves, visible, infrared or ultraviolet light.

(288) “Radiation area” means any area, accessible to individuals, in which radiation levels could result in an individual receiving a dose equivalent in excess of 0.05 mSv (0.005 rem) in one hour at 30 centimeters from the source of radiation or from any surface that the radiation penetrates.

(288m) “Radiation generating device” or “RGD” means any system, device, subsystem, or component thereof, which may generate x-rays or particle radiation between 5 keV and 1 MeV, and not intended for healing arts use for humans or animals. RGD may be fixed or portable with any of the following characteristics:

(a) Mobile-means RGD equipment mounted on a permanent base with wheels and/or casters for moving while completely assembled.